Miscellaneous unorganized material/WILX-TV
edit Digital programming On WILX-DT2, Comcast digital channel 249, and Millennium digital channel 454 is The Local AccuWeather Channel. edit History The station was founded on March 15, 1959. It was owned by Jackson Telecasters which also owned WJCO radio (AM 1510 now WJKN). Jackson Telecasters was half-owned by Lansing Broadcasting along with WILS-AM 1320. WILX shared the analog VHF channel 10 frequency with WMSB, an educational station owned by Michigan State University. That station was originally WKAR-TV broadcasting on UHF channel 60. However, it had difficulty getting viewers because television sets were not required to have UHF tuning until 1964. Viewers had to buy an expensive converter to watch WKAR and the picture was not clear even with one. Looking for a way to increase its viewership, MSU agreed to share channel 10 with WILX. As such, WMSB was located on MSU's campus in East Lansing while WILX was licensed to Onondaga with studios in Jackson, the market's second largest city. However, both stations shared the same tower and transmitter in Onondaga. WILX was on-the-air for 70 percent of the broadcast day, including all of prime time. In the event breaking news occurred or a sporting event or special on NBC was scheduled during WMSB's time, that station would often give its time to WILX. This arrangement continued until WKAR changed broadcasting frequencies to UHF channel 23 in 1972. WILX was later sold to Figgie Communications. The station went through several more ownership changes (Adams Television, Brissette Broadcasting, Forward Communications, and Benedek Broadcasting) before it was acquired by current owner Gray Television. Unlike most (then) two-station markets, WILX did not take a secondary affiliation with ABC. This was because WJRT-TV in Flint decently covered most of Lansing. Meanwhile, Jackson and Hillsdale would not get a clear signal from ABC until WUHQ-TV (now WOTV) signed on from Battle Creek in 1971. The area would not have an ABC affiliate of its own until WLAJ signed-on in 1990. For many years, WILX's main studios were located on Springport Road in Jackson while it operated a newsroom in Downtown Lansing. In the early-1990s under the ownership of Brissette Broadcasting, the station's operations were consolidated into a studio complex in Lansing on American Road. After the original analog television shutdown on February 17, 2009, WILX returned to channel 10. 1 edit News operation For most of its history, WILX was a distant runner-up to long-dominant WLNS-TV in the local ratings. Sometime in the early 2000s, WILX overtook WLNS in the ratings for the first time ever, and has maintained a narrow if consistent lead since then. However, due to budget concerns the news staff has been cut over the last few years. Its weekday morning show News 10 Today began in 1990 as an local news segment during Today eventually expanding to the current two-hour long broadcast. In 2004, the station entered into a news share agreement with Fox affiliate WSYM-TV. This came about after that channel shut down its news department due to financial reasons. Under the arrangement, WILX produces three newscasts for WSYM from a secondary set at its studios. This includes weeknights at 5:30 and every night at 10. On weekday mornings at 9 and weekend mornings at 6, the previous night's 10 o'clock show is replayed branded as Fox 47 Morning News Rewind. Due to the 5:30 broadcast airing on WSYM, there is no local news at that time on WILX. Although the two stations share most news personnel, WILX and WSYM maintain separate weeknight meteorologists. On occasion such as severe weather, WSYM may carry the primary feed from WILX in which its meteorologists appear on the other. On March 3, 2008, Jason Colthorp replaced David Andrews as the weeknight 11 o'clock anchor on WILX leaving Beth Shayne to solo anchor on WSYM at 5:30 and 10. A.J. Hilton took over as that channel's weeknight anchor when Beth Shayne left. This station operates its own weather radar, known as "Live Sky Search 10,000", at its studios. Unlike most NBC affiliates, WILX does not broadcast local news on weekdays in the midday hours as its noon show was canceled in the late-1990s. edit Newscast titles *''Newscene 10'' (1970s) *''Action News'' (late 1970s-1993) *''News 10'' (1993-present) edit Station slogans *''Mid-Michigan's News Leader'' (1970s-1980s) *''WILX-TV, Proud as a Peacock!'' (1979-1980; localized version of NBC ad campaign) *''TV-10, Proud as a Peacock!'' (1980-1981; localized version of NBC ad campaign) *''WILX-TV, Our Pride is Showing''/''TV-10, Our Pride is Showing'' (1981-1982; localized version of NBC ad campaign) *''WILX-TV, There, Be There'' (1983-1984; localized version of NBC ad campaign) *''Come Home to WILX-TV'' (1986-1987; localized version of NBC ad campaign) *''Come Home to the Best, Only on TV-10'' (1988-1990; localized version of NBC ad campaign) *''WILX-TV, The Place to Be!'' (1990-1991; localized version of NBC ad campaign) *''Coverage You Can Count On'' (1993-2007) *''The Breaking News and Weather Authority'' (2007-present) edit News team Anchors *Lauren Evans - weekday mornings and "What's Going Around" segment producer *David Andrews - weeknights at 5 and 6 *A.J. Hilton - weeknights at 5:30 and 10 *Jason Colthorp - weeknights at 11 *Meaghan Norman - weekend mornings and reporter *Liam Martin - weekend evenings and reporter **photojournalist Sky Team 10 Meteorologists *Darrin Rockcole - Chief seen weekday mornings *Andy Provenzano - weeknights at 5, 6, and 11 **heard on WFMK-FM 99.1 and WKHM-FM 105.3 *Chris Gervat - weeknights at 5:30 and 10 *Julie Fuson - weekends Sports (both seen on Sports Blitz) *Tim Staudt - Director seen weeknights at 6, 10, and 11 **sports reporter and Staudt on Sports host on WVFN-AM 730 *Jeremy Sampson - weekend evenings and sports reporter Reporters *Stacy Johnson - "Money Talks" segment producer *Steve Coon - Chief Photographer *Lauren Zakalik *Jamie Edmonds *Meaghan Norman *Katie Kim *John Lund edit Former staff *Lori Dougovito - now with WJRT *Dan Ponce - now with WGN-TV *Beth Shayne - now with WCNC-TV *Chris Sutter - now with WLEX *Tiffany Teasley - now with WXIX *John Tramontana - now with the Michigan Democratic Party *Adela Uchida - now with KTRK *Emilie Voss - now with KESQ-TV *Nick LaFave - now with KQDS-TV *Aaron Baskerville - now with WWMT *Nicholas Ferreri - now with WANE-TV *Tony Tagliavia - now with WOOD-TV *Jennifer Dowling - now with WWMT *Dan Hedman - now with KOLN edit References #'^' http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/39392092.html edit External links *WILX-DT channel 10 *WILX-DT mobile *WSYM-DT "Fox 47" *Query the FCC's TV station database for WILX-TV